IDENTIFYING THE EFFECTS OF GREENSPACES ON THE MENTAL HEALTH OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

Individuals in Singapore are currently suffering from deteriorating mental health levels over the past few years. This forms a need to discover new and more efficient ways to augment the mental health levels of individuals. Specifically, in this study, an investigation was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of greenspaces on the mental health of university students in the Singapore context. In addition, the study also seeks to provide insights on the different impacts of greenspaces on the mental health of university students. To achieve these objectives, university students from various universities in Singapore were invited to respond to the survey. The online survey was divided into three parts for data collection: demographic information, measurement of mental health, and measurement of the level of exposure to greenspaces. Responses from one hundred respondents were gathered to attain university students’ perceptions towards the effectiveness of perceived exposure to greenspaces on mental health levels. This study found that an increase in the levels of perceived exposure to greenspaces can lead to a significant improvement in mental health levels of university students. Additionally, gender, year of study and university that respondents are currently studying in do not affect the extent of impact of perceived exposure to greenspaces. Results obtained can help stakeholders understand the relationship between greenspaces and mental health in the context of university students in Singapore. Additionally, the results obtained can also provide valuable insights for policymakers, urban planners, and healthcare professionals in developing strategies to improve the mental health of university students through the provision of greenspaces.